The present invention relates generally to container cranes, and more particularly to a crane apparatus for directly transshipping containers between transportation modes without the need for placing the containers on the ground.
The volume of worldwide containerized cargo is increasing faster than is the capacity of many of the world's conventional marine container terminals. The problem is being compounded by a shortage of terminal space and increasing congestion caused by traditional, ship/stack/trailer-truck type operations. In addition, air pollution problems in and around marine terminals, most notably in older port cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Rotterdam and Hamburg, now dictate that major changes are needed in the method of handling marine container cargoes.
One solution to these problems would come from logistics systems that enable the direct transshipment of containers between transportation modes, i.e., without the need for their ground placement before they leave the terminal. For example, direct transshipment between container ships and feeder vessels, barges, ferries, etc., and direct transshipment between container ships and container unit-trains.
Modern examples of port/rail container terminal facilities are those in Los Angeles (Pier 400 and the Alameda Rail Corridor Project) and ECT at Maasvlacht. The ECT project is being linked to the Ruhr District in Germany by a new rail tunnel and railroad being constructed in connection with Deutsche Bahn.
Both these terminals, however, currently involve indirect ship to unit-train transshipment container logistics systems, i.e., the dockside cranes move the containers from the ship via one or more types of ground transportation units to a container stacking yard. Such ground transportation units are either manned (driver driven) or automated transfer systems. Examples are: Gaussin S.A.'s multi-trailer sets (MTS); BUISCAR's system; automated guided vehicles (AGVs) such as those of Siemens/Demag and, more recently, 1-over-1 shuttle straddle carriers such as those of Kalmar Industries. Because these transfer systems move the containers from dockside to intermediate container stacking areas within the marine terminal, they are classed as INDIRECT, as against DIRECT, transshipment systems.
Various types of mobile container lifting equipment, such as rubber tired gantries (RTGs) or rail mounted gantries (RMGs), then transfer the containers from these ground transportation systems and stack the containers in the terminal's stack, or storage, areas. Here the containers wait until a unit-train comes into, or near-by, the marine terminal, at which time various types of mobile container lifting equipment again lift the containers and load them onto the rail-cars. There are therefore a minimum of three handlings of the container in such an indirect “on-dock” rail transshipment logistics system. Often the need to sort containers between stacks can lead to a further two or three additional handlings of a container.
One recent advance has been to automate the container stacking/unstacking functions within the terminal. This is exemplified by the Hessenatie/Siemens/Demag overhead automated bridge crane stacking system now being built in the Port of Antwerp and by the PSA automated terminal system in Singapore.
These systems, while certainly increasing container handling productivity within terminals, whether manned or automated, are still only component parts of indirect transshipment systems.
By contrast, DIRECT, as against INDIRECT, transshipment of containers between ship and other transportation modes (such as container feeder vessels, barges and/or container unit-trains and other over-the-ground equipment) requires that such multiple handling be avoided. This can only be done if the quayside container crane is designed to move the container to these other transportation modes directly, without the necessity of ground placement, thereby eliminating, to the maximum extent possible, the need for container stacking within the terminal.
In turn, this can only be done by a totally new system of container handling and logistics. Specifically by the use of multiple hoists (together with one or more platforms) within a “parent” quayside container crane. In addition, for the direct transshipment of containers between ship and container unit-trains and other over-the-ground equipment, an independent but associated “sibling” crane must work in conjunction with its parent quayside container crane.
Such a sibling crane must be able to move independently under and on either side of its parent crane. As such, by moving independently along the quay, or wharf, it can load rail-cars (or other over-the-ground equipment) even though its parent crane has to remain in a fixed position while unloading any particular cell of a container vessel.
The mobile parent quayside container cranes working in conjunction with their associated sibling cranes according to this invention, hereinafter sometimes referred to as the Poseidon™ crane system, achieve the direct transfer of containers between all these transportation modes without the necessity of ground placement, within the shortest possible cycle distance, and in the shortest possible cycle time.
The sibling cranes in this invention can be either rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs) or rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs). In practice, however, because of the narrow conditions, and for control and safety reasons, the optimal cranes to use should be RMGs.
Another major consideration is that, as the size and draft requirements of container vessels continue to increase, many relatively shallow ports are no longer able to receive such vessels. This is particularly true on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts. The economies of scale achievable by the use of these larger ships, however, is forcing a dramatic change in planning for the future. The concept of centralized hub terminals, dedicated to a single shipping company or Alliance, and capable of taking the deepest draft container ships, which then transship containers to container unit-trains and/or to feeder vessels and/or barges for their movement to shallower ports, is now being actively explored by shipping companies, terminal companies and port authorities around the world. In the the United States, this trend is exemplified by Maersk/Sealand's decision to possibly leave its major U.S. East Coast hub in the Port of New York/New Jersey for a deep-water, 568 acre, site they have purchased in Portsmouth, Virginia, a decision being forced by the multi-billion dollar cost of trying to deepen the channel to its existing facilities in Port Elizabeth, N.J.
As a result of these changes in marine container logistics systems, there is a parallel need being generated for new types of container handling and transshipping equipment. This invention, for a parent quayside container crane with its associated sibling crane, is designed to enable the direct transshipment of marine containers without the necessity of ground placement. The invention is particularly useful for direct transshipment of marine containers between container ships and (1) other marine modes such as feeder ships, barges, ferries, etc. and (2) over-the-ground vehicle modes including (a) railway modes, such as single-stack and double-stack container unit-trains, (b) all types of wheeled over-the-ground equipment, manned or automated, and (c) trailer-trucks and multi-trailer sets.
The crane apparatus comprised of cooperating parent and sibling cranes according to the present invention is designed to operate optimally on piers, including “J” “L” and “T” piers, wharves, bulkhead wharves, etc.